Singer Demi Lovato backtracked on her comments praising Israel following online backlash on Wednesday, a day after writing on her visit to the Jewish state and talking about her positive spiritual experience.
According to some reports, she even deactivated her Instagram account after she was bombarded by hate-filled messages from online anti-Israel activists.
Among her many stops in the country, the 27-year-old visited the Western Wall and Shalva National Children's Center, which offers free care and support to people with disabilities and their families.
Following her visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum, she wrote, "My heart was absolutely broken. This was such a beautiful tribute and a reminder that we can never forget."
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The "Tell Me You Love Me" singer, who said she was raised Catholic but has Jewish roots, was also baptized in the Jordan River.
"There is something absolutely magical about Israel," Lovato wrote on Instagram. "I've never felt such a sense of spirituality or connection to God … something I've been missing for a few years now. Spirituality is so important to me … to be baptized in the Jordan river – the same place Jesus was baptized – I've never felt more renewed in my life."
She added, "This trip has been so important for my well-being, my heart and my soul. I'm grateful for the memories made and the opportunity to be able to fill the God-sized hole in my heart. Thank you for having me, Israel."
But her comments in praise of Israel drew a barrage of criticism, making her change her tone. "I'm extremely frustrated. I accepted a free trip to Israel in exchange for a few posts," she wrote. "No one told me there would be anything wrong with going or that I could possibly be offending anyone. With that being said, I'm sorry if I've hurt or offended anyone, that was no my intention."
"Sometimes people present you with opportunities and no one tells you the potential backlash you could face in return," she continued. "This was meant to be a spiritual experience for me, NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT and now I realize it hurt people and for that I'm sorry. Sorry I'm not more educated and sorry for thinking this trip was just a spiritual experience."
Parts of this article were reprinted with permission from JNS.org.
